92.7 WBUA-FM, Tisbury Martha's Vineyard, Debuts on Saturday, Feb. 9

New Station to Broadcast Award-Winning Programming from WBUR, Boston’s NPR News Station

BOSTON, Feb. 6, 2013 – 90.9 WBUR, Boston’s NPR® News Station, will debut on its new signal, 92.7-FM Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard, on Saturday, Feb. 9. The station will simulcast its award-winning news and information programming using the call letters WBUA. For the debut on Feb. 9, WBUR will broadcast a custom showcase of its signature shows, previously not heard in this new market.

The sign-on follows the closing of the sale of 92.7’s 3,000-watt signal to WBUR by Aritaur Communications, which is expected to occur on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.

“The islands, Cape Cod and ‘SouthCoast’ are vital to the state we cover and serve. But until now most residents could not get our signal,” said WBUR General Manager Charlie Kravetz. “We have the largest radio newsroom in New England and are thrilled to provide our outstanding local news reporting – along with our signature programs like On Point, Here & Now, Radio Boston and Only A Game – to these important Massachusetts communities.”

WBUA boosts the reach of WBUR’s broadcasts to more than 60,000 prospective new listeners on Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Cape Cod, as well as in New Bedford, Fall River, Falmouth, Westport, Marion and other Massachusetts SouthCoast locations. The 92.7 FM signal will be in addition to WBUR’s current 50,000-watt signal on 90.9 FM, which broadcasts across all of metropolitan Boston and eastern Massachusetts.

WBUR is the preeminent news and information public radio station in Massachusetts, reaching close to 500,000 listeners each week, and is ranked among the Top 10 public radio stations in America. As the most prolific producer of national programming in public radio, WBUR is the home of Car Talk,On Point, Here & Now and Only A Game. With its extensive newsroom, WBUR produces hourly local newscasts, original reporting, investigative and feature series, and in addition, has a robust – and growing – digital presence at wbur.org. WBUR produces a daily news magazine program, Radio Boston, and carries NPR News programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me.

To welcome new listeners and celebrate the debut of 92.7, the station will feature a custom line-up of its signature shows starting at midnight when the new signal goes live:

12 a.m. – 2 a.m. On Point with Tom Ashbrook

2 a.m. – 3 a.m. Here & Now with Robin Young

3 a.m. – 4 a.m. Radio Boston

4 a.m. – 6 a.m. BBC Newsday

At 7 a.m., WBUR’s regular Saturday schedule begins with Only A Game, the WBUR & NPR sports show hosted by Bill Littlefield. The entire weekend and weekday line-up is available at www.wbur.org.

“WBUR is thrilled to have a new home on Martha’s Vineyard, and we’re looking forward to exploring ways that our commitment to news and programming will benefit listeners in the area,” said Sam Fleming, managing director of news and programming for WBUR.

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About WBUR, Boston’s NPR News Station: Founded in 1950, WBUR began broadcasting NPR programming in 1970, offering NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered along with local news programming and establishing its iconic identity as a news and information station. One of the nation’s most successful public radio stations today, WBUR produces extensive local and national content from its studios on Commonwealth Avenue at Boston University, in addition to airing content from NPR, The BBC, PRX and other independent content providers.

WBUR’s over-the-air mix of news, information and entertainment programming is complemented with a robust digital presence, including HD and satellite channels; mobile applications; and live streaming, podcasts and original online content such as Cognoscenti (opinion); CommonHealth (health care) and much more at its news destination website, wbur.org. The work produced at WBUR has won countless honors, including national Peabody and Murrow awards. See more at www.wbur.org.